Purim 2026 Dates And A Guide to All the Halachic Curveballs

One of the most migraine-inducing halachic zones is bein hashmashot – that murky twilight period between sunset and nightfall. The Mishnah Berurah (687:5) writes that the latest time to read the Megillah is shekiah (sunset), and if one missed that, there is a possible-but-not-ideal window to read without a beracha until nightfall.

But what if Purim ends on a Friday evening – and reading the Megillah after sunset would mean…reading Megillah on Shabbat?

Here’s where halachic logic starts to feel like a Purimspiel.

Surprisingly, reading Megillah on Shabbat in general is not inherently forbidden. People practice laining, reading Esther, singing the tune, and even rehearsing with scrolls on Shabbat.

But the sages instituted a decree: don’t read Megillah on Shabbat when it is the actual day of Purim, lest someone carry the Megillah into the public domain to bring it to an expert (Megillah 4b). That’s why Purim never falls on Shabbat in the standard calendar – it was designed that way.

But if it’s not Purim, and someone is merely catching up because they overslept? That old decree doesn’t automatically apply.

Some raise the possibility that a Megillah might be muktzeh (a Shabbat-restricted object) if it cannot be used on Shabbat. But if a person is reading it – for halachic reasons – then it is being used, so it wouldn’t be muktzeh.

A delightful halachic Catch-22 if ever there was one.

If someone is in this situation (preferably never), they’d likely avoid reading during twilight because of uncertainty, and rely on “shev v’al ta’aseh adif” – sometimes, it’s better halachically to do nothing than to risk multiple violations.

If someone lives in a non-walled city (reading Purim on the 14th of Adar) but travels to a walled city from the time of Joshua (like Jerusalem), they might become halachically obligated to keep Shushan Purim (15 Adar).

The Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 688:5) writes that if someone arrives before the night of the 15th, intending to stay until morning, they celebrate Purim like the locals.

In some years, that creates complications:

• Walled-city residents read Megillah early – on Friday the 14th – because the 15th is Shabbat.
  
  

• Do travelers therefore need to be there on Friday morning instead of Friday night?
  
  

• Or does the usual rule still apply: being present on the night of the 15th defines one’s obligation?

The answer follows the classic principles: the timing of the Megillah reading doesn’t change the underlying definition of Purim for the city. The decisive factor remains presence on the night of the 15th with intent to stay until morning, even in years when the Megillah reading is advanced.

So if a traveler arrives Friday afternoon, they may indeed end up keeping Shushan Purim like a local.

Many people today use Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) – accounts that hold charitable money for disbursement to qualifying nonprofits. But can this be used for Matanot L’Evyonim, which must be given on Purim?

Halachically, once money enters a DAF, one no longer owns the funds in the classic sense. So can giving via the DAF count?

Some halachic works (such as Shoshanat Yisrael on Purim 9:40) note that DAFs are obligated to follow the donor’s instructions – effectively functioning like a shtar chov (a promissory obligation) held on the donor’s behalf. If the fund is bound to execute one’s charitable allocation, there is enough of a connection that the donation may be considered “one’s own giving.”

As long as the distribution to the poor happens on Purim day, and the fund serves as the donor’s agent, this can fulfill the mitzvah.

It’s similar to paying for mitzvot with a credit card: the money technically comes from the credit card company at first, but the mitzvah isn’t considered invalid because the item (or charity) ultimately comes through the person’s action.

Between the twilight Megillah possibilities, the travel-based halachic identity switch, and the modern world of donor-advised philanthropy, Purim 2026 dates once again bring out the delightful complexity of Jewish law – all wrapped in costumes, joy, and mishloach manot.

And whether one celebrates on March 3 or March 4, the message remains the same: hiddenness becomes illumination, lots become salvation, and even the most bewildering halachic dilemmas can be turned upside-down.

Just like the miracle of Purim itself.